Silence
by beingawesome
Summary: Everyone knew that Norway often choked Denmark with his tie, but no one had anticipated such disastrous consequences... Hints of DenNor.
1. Prologue

Chapter 1

He hadn't expected this. Never in his wildest dreams had he thought it would be _so serious_.

He just shrugged it off, thinking it was normal…but according to the diagnosis report sent by his personal doctor, clutched in his pale, trembling hand, it was anything but.

He had laryngitis.

He hadn't been able to speak for the past week or so, so he had stopped communicating with the rest of the Nordics completely. It hurt to try speaking, but Denmark was sure he could recover.

He _was_ a nation, after all.

But even nations could apparently get such illnesses.

The hand holding the report suddenly clenched, crumpling the paper, but he didn't care. It made no difference anymore, did it?

The doctor had described his laryngitis to be severe.

Meaning he could probably never speak again…_ever_.

It completely crushed Denmark. He loved to speak…it was almost his life! And now…and now…his beloved voice was snatched from him, just gone.

But why was that?

The diagnosis held all the answers.

There was too much strain on his voice box. It had been harshly pressed against periodically.

That meant that it was supposed to be Norway's fault.

But no, he couldn't blame Norway…it _couldn't_ be his fault!

It was most probably Denmark's fault for provoking him to choke him in the first place. He should never have annoyed Norge.

Now he had to pay the price.

From that day, Denmark stopped contacting the other nations. He didn't go to _any_ World Meetings…he couldn't face the utter humiliation; after all, nations were almost nothing without their voice.

Instead, he sat at home, brooding sullenly, hoping that his voice would come back, even though he knew it was just wishful thinking.

He knew he was worrying Sweden, Finland, Norway, and even Iceland, but…he couldn't face them...

Not like that.

**I know. I'm evil. You can kill me now.**

***crickets chirping***

**Eh…maybe not. I'm too young! *hides behind huge boulder***

**There! HAHA! I am immortal!**

**Anyhow, how do ya like it? Does it suck, or is it okay? I know it's a bit short; sorry about that. The chapters will hopefully get a lot longer. I can't promise to update anytime soon, 'cause my exams are nearing, and I HAVE to study...which sucks.**

**Anyways...bye!**

**~beingwawesome**


	2. Chapter 1

"Norway, I'm getting worried."

Norway stared at the oak wooden desk in front of him with emotionless blue eyes. "About what, Finland?"

"You know what!" Finland said exasperatedly, brown eyes shining with determination. "You know as well as I do, that something has happened to Denmark."

"So what if he doesn't attend a few meetings?" Iceland asked nonchalantly from beside him. "It _is_ Danmörk, after all."

Sweden grunted in agreement from his position next to the Finnish man.

"Um, Iceland, Tanska is usually _late_, he doesn't miss meetings."

Silence descended on the occupants of the room, after Finland's statement.

He was right.

Denmark _never_ missed meetings. He would be late to them, as usual, and then would proceed to get choked by Norway.

Finland smiled a little once he saw that everyone understood his point. "Someone should go look for him."

"N't me." Sweden spoke up.

"I don't want to." Iceland and Norway spoke in unison, both of them showing the same emotion: disinterest.

"Oh, please Norja!" Finland begged with his eyes wide with hope and distress. "You're the only one he'll talk to!"

"He won't." Norway stated. "You're the one who is familiar with all of this, Finland. You should go."

"No." Finland shook his head determinedly. "You're going to go, Norja." His voice shone with confidence, which slightly shocked Norway, because Finland had never sounded like that, with the exception of one or two times.

He took a good look at the stoic faces around him, before sighing, deciding to get the whole ordeal finished. "Alright then, I will go meet him."

Finland beamed happily, clasping his hand together. "Wonderful! You should get going!"

"Now?"

"Yes, of course!"  
Norway just stared at him. "Are you joking?"

"No, why would I be?

About an hour later, Norway stood outside a brick house, glaring disdainfully at its door, which was painted red and white.

That, in itself, _reeked_ of Denmark.

Hesitantly, he brought his fist up with the intent of knocking on the door. With one look at the terrible paintwork, he ditched it in favor of jabbing the doorbell switch.

He waited for about 3 minutes until his patience wore thin.

_"Excuse me,"_ he asked an old lady who happened to be passing by, in fluent Danish, "_Do you know if the person staying here is at home right now?"_

She looked at him, tired brown eyes hosting mild confusion, before she understood. _"Oh, yes. He just doesn't come out often anymore."_

_"He doesn't?"_ Norway asked, a bit concerned, since Denmark was one of the few nations who would go out of their homes to meet their people,_ "Are you sure?"_

The woman rolled her eyes,_ "Of course I am. I may be old, but my eyes have never deceived me."_

_"Thank you."_ Norway said, before remembering his manners, "_And sorry if I offended you."_

She just waved him off with a toothy grin.

Turning back, to the door, Norway steeled his shoulders, and prepared to knock down the door. Luckily, it opened right before he could even try.

Looking up, he froze. He had expected to see Denmark. Instead he saw a pale, frail form, with bloodshot eyes, no glint of laughter or enjoyment present in them.

This was not, no _could _not be Denmark.

"Danmark?" He asked in shock, unable to believe it.

Denmark's eyes widened, seemingly realizing that it was, in fact, Norway in front of the door. He moved to slam it shut, but was prevented by Norway, who placed his foot in the way.

"No." Norway spoke, gritting his teeth in anger. "I am going to come in whether you like or not. Now let me in."

After one weary look at the shorter blonde, Denmark stood aside.

"Good." Norway walked inside, indifferent to the obnoxiously bright paintings that would normally have bothered him. "Now, what has gotten into you? Why do you keep missing the meetings? You have absolutely no idea how worried Finland has become."

Denmark didn't reply- he just looked sadly at his feet.

At that, Norway's control snapped, and he grabbed for Denmark's tie…only to find that it wasn't there. Instead, he grabbed Denmark's shoulders and slammed him against the wall, briefly noting how bony he had become.

"What is the matter with you?" He hissed irately. "Why aren't you saying anything?"

Denmark just gazed at him somberly.

This just made Norway's mood worsen. "Talk to me already!"

Denmark looked pained, before he opened his mouth and rasped out a stuttered, "C-can't…"

Norway's eyes widened in poorly concealed shock. "Y-you…can't?"

At Denmark's slow nod, he gritted his teeth, and slowly let go of his shoulders. "Why didn't you tell anyone?" The hot tendrils of anger slowly ebbed away, and his tone grew more distant.

Denmark just gave him a look, before walking towards the kitchen.

Norway had to hurry to match his pace, which was quite difficult due to the immeasurable amounts of food and papers collecting on the ground.

By the time he had gotten there, Denmark, who was previously hunched over the counter, turned around and held a large notepad with the words clearly printed:

_I can't speak Norge. _

Norway rolled his eyes. "We established that, _dum_. _Why_ can't you speak?"

After about two seconds of crazy scrawling on Denmark's part, the message read:

_I'm not entirely sure. I had got laryngitis, and it's…apparently severe._

"Why do you have laryngitis?" Norway raised a thin eyebrow.

_I don't know._

"What do you mean you don't know?" He asked, eyebrow furrowed in confusion. "How can you not know?"

_Dunno._

"Okay," Norway bit his lip to ensure full calmness. "When are you going to be able to speak again?"

Denmark lowered his gaze as though he was trying to avoid the question.

"Denmark?" He pressed more forcefully, with no luck. Denmark didn't lift his gaze from the floor.

"_Danmark_." He spoke in calm anger, if that was even possible. "When. Will. It. Get. Cured?"

The taller blonde took precious time to write out the words that would most likely haunt Norway for the rest of his eternal life:

_Never._

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**So, what d'you think? Is it okay or not okay? Constructive criticism would be appreciated greatly.**

**The update for the next chapter might take some more time, I'm not really sure. But it'll come...eventually, at least...**

**~beingawesome**


	3. Chapter 2

"Well, I am going to tell Sweden and Finland." Norway stated, surprisingly calm. "Then we must tell the other nations too, as they need to know."

Denmark's hand shot out to catch Norway's arm at that.

_"No."_ He mouthed, shaking his head frantically.

Norway sighed. This was going a lot worse than he had anticipated. He had thought that he would just go to Denmark's house, kick his butt for his stupidity, and return to Norway for some peace and calm. This was a whole lot worse.

"Why not?" He tried being patient with the silenced nation, but his tolerance was wearing thin.

Denmark scribbled something onto his notepad hastily. His messy scrawl read:

_'I don't want anyone to know about this. Please Norge.'_

Norway felt like smacking him upside the head. The fool was thinking about pride! He sighed. Denmark could be very stubborn, so he had no choice but to compromise.

"Okay. We will tell Sweden and Finland, but not the rest of the nations. Yet. You cannot hide from them forever, Denmark, and you know it."

Denmark pondered about it for a while, eyebrows knit together in concentration, before nodding reluctantly. He knew Norway was just as stubborn as he was.

"Good." Norway said, monotonously. "I am going to call them, then."

As he made the call, Denmark began to dive his hands into the fridge, fishing for something to eat, most likely.

After a few rings, Finland picked up the phone.

_"Hello? Norway is that-"_

"Come over. Now."

_"But why? Denmark's not in trouble, is he? Oh my goodness, he's dead, isn't he? Oh, what am I going to do?!"_ Finland sounded like he was panicking, making Norway sigh in frustration.

"No Finland, he's not dead. He is alive. Now get Sweden and come here."

_"What about Iceland and Sealand?"_

Norway hesitated. In his opinion, both Sealand and Iceland were too young. While Iceland may have been old in years, he wasn't going to handle the situation well, and Norway was sure of it.

"No."

_"Alright then…"_ Finland paused briefly. _"We'll be there by tomorrow."_

"See that you do." Norway spoke, before ending the call, and turning to face Denmark. "They'll be here by tomorrow."

Denmark, who was eating an apple nodded, looking sadly at the ground.

Norway nearly reached for Denmark's non-existent tie to strangle him for being so un-Denmark-like, before realizing that it wasn't there.

"Where is your tie?" He asked coolly, pretending not to notice Denmark's slight flinch as he said the word.

Denmark made a bunch of hand movements which Norway couldn't understand, obviously.

"Write it down, you fool." He said, annoyed. "I won't be able to understand you when you do that."

Sighing soundlessly, Denmark grabbed his notepad from the counter and slowly began to write, taking his time, before showing Norway the words:

_'The doctor told me not to wear it.'_

Norway's brow furrowed only slightly. The doctor told him not to wear his tie? That made no sense. Denmark was hiding something, and Norway could see it. However, he chose to deal with that later and only nodded.

Denmark gave an almost relieved smile, before hastily scribbling down,_ 'I'm tired. Gonna go up and rest.'_

"Okay." Norway spoke. "I'm not going to wake you up, though. You are going to have to do it yourself."

Denmark gave him a violent nod, before rushing upstairs.

Taking a look around the messy kitchen he was standing in, Norway decided that the untidiness of the house was bothering him, and so, began to clean.

An hour and around 20 trash bags later, Norway stood, tired, in a much cleaner kitchen. He had also cleaned the living room and dining room, which, frankly, wasn't as easy as it sounded. It surprised him to see how much trash Denmark lived with, in his house. As annoying and loud as Denmark was, he wasn't the type to throw around things everywhere. The sickness was probably taking its toll on him.

That brought Norway the other problem. The illness…the doctor had to be mistaken. There was no way _Denmark_, of all nations could lose the ability to speak. It sounded as preposterous as America not being able to eat hamburgers.

And that could _never_ happen.

Norway wasn't sure what to think. He felt powerless, for the first time in forever. He couldn't do _anything_ to get Denmark's voice back, could he?

Without his voice, would Denmark even be able to survive? He had experienced only a brief moment with the changed nation, and Norway already felt uncomfortable.

He was _never _supposed to feel like that around Denmark. _Never_.

Denmark wasn't supposed to be silent either. He wasn't supposed to look sad or sullen. He had no right. Denmark was the lively one, the one know as the energetic and crazy Nordic. Without him, the Nordics wouldn't even be the Nordics anymore, would they? They'd just be plain and lifeless.

Norway dropped into a chair as his thoughts doubled in number.

What would he do about Iceland and Sealand? They wouldn't be able to hide Denmark's problem from the two forever. There had to be a time where the two nations were to be told. But how would they react?

Sealand was particularly worrying. Denmark was like Sealand's lifeline; Sealand practically worshipped him. How would they be able to deal with him?

And then he had the people of the nation. How would the Danish survive without the guidance of their own nation? If Denmark continued being so distant and empty, there would be serious consequences to pay.

Norway dropped his head to his hands as a headache began to work its way through.

What could he do?

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**So...how is it? I won't be able to upload the next chapter quickly, that's for sure. It may take more than a week, but...who knows? It depends, really. **

**~beingawesome XD**


	4. Chapter 3

"W-what?" Finland stuttered, chocolate brown eyes wide with disbelief. "He c-can't…he can't…"

"He can't speak." Norway finished for him. "Yes, that is what I said."

"What are we going to do?" Finland was worried; it was obvious from how violently he wrung his hands. "I can't tell Sealand; it would kill him! Denmark's his favorite!"

That was true. Sealand wouldn't tolerate the fact that his 'Uncle Denmark' wouldn't be able to laugh and talk with him as he used to. He would probably die inside.

Finland and Sweden had come over, as promised. Norway had sent a disgruntled Sweden to go entertain Denmark, who had plastered on a deer-in-the-headlights look on his face. Norway was sure he'd be fine on his own…hopefully.

"Iceland cannot know either." Norway spoke. "It is important that neither of them find out about this…bizarre development. I believe that they are too young."

"That's true, but…how can we stop them?" Finland sat down on an unoccupied chair. "I don't know if Ber can take it, much less the kids-"

The door slammed open, and Sweden stood there in all his murderous glory, one hand fisted in Denmark's shirt, holding him up and still.

Norway shot to his feet. "Sweden. Put. Him. Down." He ordered.

"N'." Sweden replied in anger. "H' 's t'll'ng m' that h's l'st h's vo'ce."

"Sweden, I am being serious. Put. Him. Down."

"'s h'e t'lling th' tr'th?" Sweden didn't listen.

"Berwald, PUT HIM DOWN!" Finland cried out in anger and fear, making Norway give a barely noticeable start, and effectively shocking Sweden into letting go Denmark's shirt.

The thin Scandinavian nation proceeded to cough painful, gasping for breath.

"To answer your question, Sweden, Denmark…" Norway swallowed, finding it difficult to get the words out, strangely, "Denmark cannot speak."

Sweden stared at him in disbelief, before glancing over at Finland, only to find the same resolved and determined gaze in his eyes. Opening his mouth, and closing it a few times in shock, Sweden left the room, slamming the door shut behind him.

Denmark looked, in a word, heartbroken. His normally vibrant blue eyes were wide and watery, and his skin seemed a few shades paler, if possible.

"Denmark…" Norway started, but the other nation didn't listen, and bolted from the room.

"You should go after him." Finland spoke quietly. "I'll check on Berwald." Noticing Norway's hesitance, Finland pressed, "Really, you should go."

So, Norway set out in search of Denmark, grabbing his notepad as he did. It wasn't really easy to find him, obviously, since it was Denmark's house and, of course, Denmark knew most of the best hiding spots.

After about 10 minutes of tireless searching (made easy because Norway cleared up his house) he found Denmark on the terrace, staring wistfully at the horizon. He made no move to disturb the nation; he had never seen Denmark so contemplative.

Norway hesitated; _should he alert Denmark to his presence?_

He wasn't sure of how Denmark would respond; would he be angry, or upset? Would he go hysterical, or act completely normal?

"_Danmark."_ It was almost impossible to hear, but it somehow reached the older nation, who stiffened, then relaxed.

He turned around and gave Norway a wave, flashing a big _fake_ smile at him.

Hm…so, he was going for the 'act normal' response. This was going to be a bit difficult for Norway. He wasn't one to completely beat around the bush for things, but he didn't want to force things on Denmark.

He realized that he was just standing there, and that Denmark kept shooting confused looks his way, so he walked over to him and sat down.

Denmark looked at his feet, before giving an inaudible sigh and turning to gaze at the horizon.

Norway cleared his throat to gain Denmark's attention. "Finland is worried." He spoke firmly, yet softly. "You are acting like a complete idiot. Sweden is just in shock. He will snap out of it soon."

Denmark didn't answer; he didn't show any signs of having heard Norway.

The younger nation's eyes narrowed, though it was impossible to tell; it happened only for a brief second.

"Stop being difficult," He spoke. "I can…understand that you are going through a large change. However, that does not mean that you act so…strange."

Of course, what Norway really wanted to say was that Denmark was being an idiot, even more than usual, and that he should just get over it since none of them really cared whether he had his voice or not.

Denmark looked like he wanted to say something, but, of course, he couldn't, which prompted Norway to give him his notepad that he had grabbed downstairs earlier, along with a pen, which Norway always carried around.

He wrote, _'I'm fine, Norge. I'm not being difficult. Don't worry about me.'_

Now, Norway wasn't one to curse, but he couldn't help himself. "Bullshit." He spoke monotonously, ignoring Denmark's silent surprise at his choice of words. "Something is wrong with you, idiot. Do not try and tell me that you are alright. It is quite easy to be able to tell when you lie, so don't even try."

Denmark opened his mouth to say something, but abruptly closed it again, eyes facing downwards as he realized that he _couldn't_ say _anything_, much less what he needed to. Watching as his expression fell slightly, Norway couldn't help this odd pang in his chest. Was it…sadness? Pity?

"Write it down." He instructed, trying hard to ignore the strange feeling.  
Denmark took his time in writing it out, much to Norway's displeasure. _'I didn't know you could cuss. Is goody-goody Norway becoming…bad?! *gasp*'_

After seeing Norway's expression though, Denmark quickly wrote down his next sentence. _'There's nothing wrong with me, I'm serious. Don't worry about it, Norge.'_

As he wrote it down, Norway could see his eyebrow giving barely noticeable twitches, which made him frown faintly.

"Liar."

'_What? No!'_

"You're lying again."

'_I am NOT.'_

"Stop this Denmark. I'm not in the mood for this."

'_Really, I'm fine. Don't worry; I'll come and talk to you when I feel like something's wrong.'_

Norway highly doubted that, but based on Denmark's stiff body language, the conversation was finished. He wouldn't achieve anything even if he grilled Denmark for hours.

"Fine have it your way then." He said, standing up and brushing off any imaginary dust particles he could reach. "I just came up here to tell you that Sweden is not angered with you, and that he just requires some…time." Norway wrinkled his nose at that; he did not think that anyone would need time to cope with such changes.

The action did not go unseen. Denmark gave a silent laugh, and the faintest of smiles flickered over his face, making Norway feel a bit relieved. So the nation could still smile after all.

"Denmark," He paused just as he was about to go downstairs. "Tomorrow, we are going to meet someone who can teach you sign language. Your handwriting, frankly, annoys me."

The smile disappeared.

* * *

**Sorry for updating so late! Writer's block...pisses me off.**

**I'll try my best to update sooner, but again, no promises. Sorry.**

**~beingawesome**


	5. Filler

Finland was, admittedly, worried. Nothing like this had ever happened before with any nation. It was quite strange, and frankly, very frightening. This wasn't supposed to happen.

Finland wasn't one to be selfish, but this was one of the rare moments he wished someone else had this load to deal with. Not Denmark, not Norway, not Sweden…none of the Nordics. No one from his family.

Finland really wished, desperately, that they were granted with some- some miracle, if possible, and they could live happily, with no problems at all. Of course, he knew he was being stupid; miracles like that almost never happened.

He hesitated.

Norway had asked him to keep Denmark's condition a secret from the other nations, but Finland wasn't sure if that was a good idea. After all, the nations would find out eventually. Then, it'd be more problematic than before, and Norway wouldn't be able to deal with it, Finland was sure. He had to tell someone. Finland wasn't one to blabber or gossip, though it may have seemed like it. No, he respected the privacies of others. In this case though…in this case, Finland would have to break the rules.

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**This isn't really a chapter guys; it's just a filler of sorts. I'm actually working on the next chapter right now, so hopefully, it'll be done soon.**

**Anyways, I'd like to thank all those who have followed, favorite and reviewed so far. You guys really keep me going with this fic. I'm being serious, normally I mightn't have updated for a month at least! :D**

**~beingawesome**


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